Tubular-magazine firearm.



No. 827,978. PATRNTRN AUG. 7, 1906. T. 0. JOHNSON. TUBULAR MAGAZINEFIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21 1906.

THE mums PETERS co., wAsnmonm, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETOE.

NECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR NEW HAVEN, CON- TUBULAR-MAGAZINE FIREARM.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tubular-Magazine Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings and the figures of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a broken view, partly'in side elevation and partly in verticalsection, of the forward portion of a gun provided with my improvement;Fig. 2, a detached broken view, in side elevation, of the forward end ofthe sheet-metal forearm, showing the friction-lock collar mountedtherein; Fig. 3, a view thereof in front elevation; Fig. 4, a detachedbroken view, in side elevation, of the front end of the magazine,showing its takedown flange; Fig. 5, a detached view, in frontelevation, of the magazine with the plug thereof removed.

My invention relates to an improvement in tubular-magazine firearms, theobject being to provide a simple, durable, and effective friction-lockfor preventing the magazine from jarring loose and turning in firing theun. 0 With these ends in view my invention consists in a firearm havingcertain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

For the illustration of my invention I have shown it as applied to a gunhaving a sheetmetal fore-arm, although such a fore-arm is not essentialto the use of my improvement. As herein shown, then, the tubularmagazine 2, which passes forward through the said fore-arm, is formed atits rear end in the usual manner with threads 3, by means of which it isfirmly secured to the gun-frame or receiver 4. For screwing it home andunscrewing it for its removal I provide it at its forward end with anintegral ring-like take-down flange 5, provided upon its rear face withan annular centering-shoulderfi, adapted in size to snugly fit within afriction-lock collar 7, brazed or otherwise secured within the for-Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 21. 1906.Serial No. 313,011.

Patented Aug. '7, 1906.

ward end of the thin, and therefore slightly elastic-sheet-metalfore-arm 8, the rear end of which is provided with a piece 9, projectingrearwardly and adapted to enter a groove or recess 10 in the front faceof the frame or receiver, as shown and described in my prior patent, No.808,375, granted December 26, 1905. The forward end of the fore-arm issupported, as I may say here, by the front end of the magazine, whilethe rear end of the forearm is supp orted directly by the receiver, asjust above set forth. The periphery of the said flange 5 is formed witha continuous series of shallow notches 11, which sufficiently roughenits surface to enable it to be firmly gripped for manually screwing andunscrewing the magazine; but to screw the magazine solidly into its homeposition, as well as to start it back in unscrewing it, the flange ispreferably provided with radial holes 12 for the reception of the pinsof a spanner-wrench or corresponding implement, such as a piece of wireor a rod. As shown, the flange 5 is adapted for the reception of amagazine-plug 5 of usual construction. Now to prevent the magazine fromjarring loose and turning in firing the gun I form upon the rear face ofthe said flange, a continuous series of shallow U-shapedtenonfrictionlock notches or undulations 13, i

which coact with a continuous series of corresponding shallow notches orundulations 14, formed upon the outer face of the collar 7, as wellas-with a continuous series of shallow notches or undulations 8registering with the notches or undulations 14 and 'formed in the frontend of the fore-arm itself.

The said notches or undulations 14 and 8 form a locking-face forcoaction with the notches or undulations 13, which form a locking-faceupon the rear face of the flange 5. Just before the magazine comes to astop in screwing it home the lngh points of the notches 13 engage withthe high points of the notches 14. Then as the turning of the flange 5is continued the elastic sheet-metal fore-arm 8 yields just enough topermit the flange 5 to be turned until the notches 13 and 14 are wellfitted together, in which relation they are held by the spring of thesheetmetal fore-arm. Now if the magazine as the result of the jarringand shock of use should be loosened it will not turn, because it is heldICC by the coaction of the notches 13 and 14. In unscrewing the magazinesome little force must, of course, be exerted in order to spring thefore-arm sufficiently to enable the high points of the notches 13 toride over and clear themselves from the high points of the notches 14.

I claim-- 1. In a tubular-magazine gun, the combination with the framethereof, of a tubular magazine adapted at its rear end to be screwedinto the said frame and provided at its front end with a take-downflange, and a fore-arm, the said flange coacting with a yieldinglocking-face at the front end of the forearm to lock the magazineagainst turning except as the said locking-face at the front end of thefore-arm yields to permit it.

2. In a tubular-magazine gun, the combination with the frame thereof, ofa tubular magazine adapted at its rear end to be screwed into the saidframe and provided at its front end with a take-down flange having alocking-face, and a yielding fore-arm having a locking-face to coactwith the locking-face of the said flange, the said fore-arm yielding topermit the said locking-faces to ride over each other when the magazineis screwed home into the frame and when it is unscrewed preparatory toits removal therefrom.

3. In a tubular-magazine gun, the combination with the frame thereof, ofa tubular magazine adapted at its rear end to be screwed into the saidframe and provided at its front end with a take-down flange, a forearm,and a collar mounted in the front end thereof, the said flange andcollar coacting to form a lock and the collar yielding to permit them toride over each other in screwing the magazine home into the gun-frameand in ungcrewing it preparatory to its removal thererom.

4. In a tubular-magazine firearm, the com,- binati on with a yieldingfore-arm, of a tubular magazine provided at its front end with atake-down flange having its rear face formed I with notches, and acollar located in the front ,l end of the fore-arm and formed withnotches corresponding to those of the said flange, the l said fore-armyielding to permit the notched 1 faces of the flange and collar to rideover each l other in screwing the magazine home into the gun-frame andin unscrewing it therei from preparatory to its removal from the gun.

5. In a tubularanagazine firearm, the comhination with a yieldingforearm, of a tubular magazine provided at its front end with atake-down flange having a centering-shoulder and a series of notches,and a collar mounted in the front end of the fore-arm and receiving thesaid centering-shoulder and having a series of notches coacting withthose of the flange to form a lock for the magazine, the said forearmyielding to permit the notched faces of the flange and collar to rideover each other in screwing the magazine home intothe gun-frame and inunscrewing it therefrom preparatory to its removal from the gun.

6. In a tubular-magazine firearm, the combination with a sheet-metalforearm, of a tubular magazine passing through the said forearm andprovided at its front endv with a takedown flange having its rear faceformed with a series of notches, and a collar mounted in the front endof the fore-arm and formed with a series of notches coacting with thoseof the flange to lock the magazine against turning, the sheet-metalfore-arm yielding to permit the high points of the notches to ride overeach other when the magazine is screwed home into the frame andunscrewed prepara tory to its removal therefrom.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib- I ing witnesses.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

HERBERT F. BEEBE, DANIEL H. VEADER.

